Fury of the Fulira Clan
by Kiliashandra-Tanaka
Summary: Starlyte, the last remaining dhampira of the Fulira clan, falls into a strange web of confusion as a prophecy is slowly fulfiled.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte.**

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****Black hair flew behind her, while a silver jacket rippled in the wind. Thoughts of her life raged in her head. Not one thing was truly clear, but she understood the most important thing. **

_**When this tournament was over, she would take over Industrial Illusions. **_

**Nothing inside her relished the idea. However, if her brother went down, he would give the company to her, and she would run the company, just as she had promised her bother she would do since he started it. Her name was Starlyte Pegasus; she was the only heir to Maximillion Pegasus, since his fiancée and he had never wed and he refused to take any other woman as a wife. She was the heir to Industrial Illusions, and Duel Monsters, her brother's pastime and creation.**

**She stared over the water, out into a horizon that was anything but clear. Hands resting on the rail, she seemed poised for any kind of threat against her brother. She wouldn't let him go under, not unless it was deemed to happen. **

**Yet, again, the picture she had been shown of Seto Kaiba loomed in her mind. He was the one who ran KaibaCorp. Her brother was trying to _take_ _over_ the company KaibaCorp. Why it sounded so familiar, was because it was the leading company in gaming products. It rivaled even Industrial Illusions.**

**Her left hand moved to her hip. She stroked the hilt of the sword that she was carrying. It was the only thing that truly reminded her of Cecilia, her dearest friend and, almost, sister-in-law. She wanted her brother to succeed in his takeover with a desire that threatened to eat her away completely. She wanted Cecilia back just as much as her brother did.**

**Cecilia had died due to a disease she had contracted in Europe. It happened not long after Starlyte's fifteenth birthday. So, she cherished all her memories of Cecilia. They were what kept her going.**

**She let out a gentle sigh. It was not known to be common, especially to those who knew her character. Strong-willed and rebellious, she stood her ground against all those that tried to mess with her. Inside she only wanted to be understood, although she'd never admit it to herself. Never had she kept a friend for very long; they all had deserted her or had grown far too different.**

**Again, her eyes were drawn out over the water. No one would dare to approach her. Not here, not so close to Duelist Kingdom, not so close to their destination. Most would be asleep, and the few that would still be awake stayed away from her. None knew who she was, but they felt the danger of her. They felt the strength, the pure undeniable power she gave off. She, herself, had embraced it her entire life. Those around her, they feared it. Two knew what it was, only her brother and she.**

**The view found her breathless every time she saw the broad expanse of the Sea over which they sailed. It surrounded her on all sides, and its power frightened her. She loved the power the Sea had as well. The Sea could capsize a boat, or throw a human off course and still be able to prove that it is merciful. The Sea was stronger than any machine.**

**She smiled lightly, thinking of a saying Cecilia had told her. 'The Sea doth have its pearls, but there is danger in retrieving them. The Sea doth have power; a beauty rivaled only by that of the Wind.' Starlyte had never understood it fully, but she knew Cecilia would not have told it to her if it meant nothing.**

**She'd only loved one other person, that was her brother. Even though she didn't show the love, it was there, revealed only when he was in danger. Nobody else had ever passed her barriers. 'Strong as steel' as her brother often called them. **

**Her eyes drifted shut as she began to think clearer. Thoughts still came in a rapid procession, but they were no longer jumbled. Another picture shown through, only instead of Kaiba it was someone else. He looked no more than a grade-school kid, but she knew otherwise. 'Yugi Mutou.'**

**Lids that concealed eyes that rivaled even the purest of silver, lifted. Her head turned towards the sound of a splash. Her reflexes were as sharp as ever, as were her eyes. It looked like some kind of idiotic blond. He was chasing after something. Her eyes barely caught what they were before she took off down the deck.**

**She half hung and half balanced on the rail. What she had seen were Duel Monster cards. 'Rare ones' her inner voice spoke. The person in the water, male by scent, was thrashing about, trying to capture them in his grasp. She wasted not one second. Throwing her jacket onto the deck she dove into the, currently, unmerciful Sea.**

**The water was cold; bone-chillingly so. She took pleasure in the feel of it. The shock of the water had opened senses that were previously dormant. Every movement of the waves and the smell of the water that stung her eyes and nose were relished. **

**She barely caught the shape of the blond above the waves. He was, almost, completely under. It seemed as though he could barely hold himself up, and yet he still tried to grab at the cards. Starlyte took a hold of his arm and slung it over her shoulder ignoring the cries of protest at the loss of two cards. She used her feet to propel herself and the boy to the ship.**

**A rope fell down in front of her. **

**Shaking her head out of her own stupidity for not checking if there were people on the deck, she was careful to keep a tight grip on the blond's waist. Holding them to the rope, she and the blond were pulled up to the deck. The boy almost lay down but he found the strength to hand the star-headed one, three of the five cards he tried to gather. 'Yugi Mutou.' Starlyte grabbed her jacket, turned away, and walked down to her previous spot. She cared not for the one she saved or for his friends. She pulled her jacket on.**

**She blocked all sounds out. Thinking came hard to her, because when her battle senses were up she could hardly process any logical thought. The thrill of the swim and the cool wind was sending shivers up and down her body, even with the jacket on. She hoped the others would not approach her, but knowing the little bit about Mutou that she did, she knew they would.**

**Other matters were on her mind, ones more important. **

'**Yugi Mutou. That is he then, the one my brother wants. The one he needs to fulfill his plans.' Her thoughts had been cleared completely by the water, and by the strength that the Mutou kid was giving off. 'Strength rivaled only by that of the Wind, so a portion of Cecilia's prophecy comes true now. Indeed, Wind and I meet here on this boat, though I am not the Sea. That honor belongs to another, one who better personifies the Sea.' Starlyte let a small smile lift the corner of her mouth.**

**Once again, she was at the spot near the bow of the ship. She paid no attention to the movement of the ship now; her mind was wandering. It drifted to a faraway place, her hidden sanctuary. She found herself in a state of peace. Though lost in the forest of her mind, she was aware of the others coming up behind her.**

**They stood apart from her, about five yards away. Conversing amongst themselves, they decided to let only one member of their group to step up to her. The one she saved, the blond, was the one they chose.**

**He froze not more than three feet away from her.**

**Starlyte's eyes were open and blazing. She had drawn her sword and it now rested at the blond's jugular. Her movements had been too fast for any of the others to see.**

**The sword, itself, shone with an eerie light. The jewels embedded in the hilt shone with the strangely luminescent light. The light bounced off the water and reflected on the two facing each other.**

**Starlyte wore a look of pure annoyance, while the blond's look was the utmost of contradictions to hers. He looked almost afraid, but merely just surprised. The fact he had a sword at his throat had not registered in his mind yet. Starlyte could tell purely upon the blank look in his eyes.**

**Starlyte sheathed her sword, extinguishing the light in the process. She spoke not, but the blond decided to step back. At the looks of fright, annoyance, and one sympathetic glance from the girl, Starlyte was verging on pissed.**

"**What do you want?" her first words since stepping on the ship, and they were cold and caustic.**

"**I-I just wanted ta thank ya for savin' my tail. Ya dove in wid'out a moment's hesitation. Ya must have a really good heart." The blond let out a mawkish grin as he placed a hand on the back of his head. Starlyte tried to hide her disgust, but she still felt a wave of nausea hit her in the pit of her stomach and the rise of bile because of it. "I'm Joey by tha way, if ya were wonderin'."**

"**Starlyte Pegasus and I don't have a good heart. I just like to know that I can overpower the Sea at turns." Her gaze shifted and landed back out over the water. She could feel their gazes on her back. There was a strong, bitter taste at the back of her mouth. 'Anger, surprise, but more noteworthy, it's utter hatred. What could my brother have done to make them hate my last name so much?'**

**Confused by their reactions, but more overwhelmed by the emotions that rose because of them, she turned and left. 'Mutou is powerful, but he will not take my chance having Cecilia back away from me. I've lived for nearly three years without her and it has been torture. I want Cecilia _back_.'**

**A single tear escaped her eye. It left a dark trail down her cheek.**

**It was a lonely walk, but it was also a lonely life. Starlyte, at the moment and as much as she despised the feeling, wanted to be held. She was tired of being the lone wolf; tired of being who she was. She wanted a pair of loving arms to take her up and just hold her. She pulled her jacket closer about her, the cold forcing memories and thoughts of a different life away.**

**She was not about to think any more tonight. She entered a darkened room, the only light was a candle that burned steadily in the corner; she flipped on the light. The candle she blew out and she gazed around the makeshift lair her brother had made for her.**

**Her things ranged in number and importance: candles in a plentiful supply; incense of all sorts; copies of her spell books. They all had their singular importance and number was strength, in a few cases. It looked like her room at the castle, and her room in Domino. Black walls with black curtains blocking the light from entering; a small round table within the center was covered with things she used, and a small black encased bed rested in the corner. Carefully, she took out a Black Love incense stick and lit it.**

**She set it in a commonly bland incense holder as she sat down in front of the table. Tarot cards, an answer deck, spirit-color-stones, and her deck of every-day spells were spread in a small semi-circle. She reached out to her tarot cards then pulled her hand back with a quick jerk.**

"**No. I'm not going to look into the future when what shall happen is so clear. But, I can do this." She picked up the bag of spirit-color-stones. "Perhaps I can know what I am truly fighting here though. Yes, that is a very stable plan, since Mutou's color in still unknown to me." She loosened the strings that held the bag closed and reached in.**

**The bag held exactly forty-three stones. There were exactly forty-three different colors. She closed her eyes and concentrated upon the fields of energy that everyone casts out. In her minds eye, she saw her brother's aura, and her own. One was of a deep burgundy and the other silver. Slowly she moved her vision to that of Yugi Mutou. The shroud around him was colorless, yet, not at all; the color was not known, so she could see none then.**

**Her hand closed around a stone. She knew she would see her brother's color first, and the stone she held in her hand was indeed burgundy. She replaced the stone, shook the bag, picked out another, and it was silver. She envisioned Mutou again and drew out a third stone after dropping hers back in and shaking the bag.**

**She closed her eyes as she let it drop back into the bag. **

'**Green, I should have known. Indeed. I truly do fight the Wind here. Nevertheless, I am not the Sea. I am not its true other side. The color of blue belongs to Seto Kaiba. The Sea and Wind, they shall clash before my brother falls. That is what Cecilia meant. But this cannot be the only thing. There must be more.' She shook her head, she would find out in time. She tightened the strings upon the bag. Carefully she set the bag down as she picked up the answer deck.**

**She knew all the cards, and she trusted in their meanings. Slowly she chose her question. 'What will the outcome of the clashing of the Sea and the Wind be, and what will happen afterwards?' her hands moved with a deftly precise movement, shuffling from side to side. She stopped, and spoke her question aloud, her hands waiting to continue their work, "What will the outcome of the clashing of the Sea and the Wind be, and what will happen afterwards?"**

**She split the deck into three random sized piles. Closing her eyes, she chose a card and placed it next to the second deck. Again, she picked up another card and placed in below the first one. Following the pattern, she created a small square, three down, three across. Only the center square was empty.**

**She picked up another random card and placed it there. Taking a deep breath, she flipped each card in the direction one would turn a page. She carefully looked down at them**

**The first two, which represented the past, were new beginnings and jealousy; the next two, which represented the present, were the master and the troubleshooter; the next four, which represented the future, were storm, battle, judgment, and challenge. The ninth card, the one in the center, the one that told the outcome of her question, was victory, only it lay facing the wrong way.**

**Starlyte realized, merely with the cards, that they both had a deeper past that neither cared to know about or reveal. There were their personalities, so much alike, yet so different that they clashed with a glorious might. Their future would lead to many battles, and victory was never certain either way, though it seemed the card tended to lean toward a victory for the Wind. But the center card, the victory card, was upside down. She knew the answer to her question. 'Kaiba will win the duel against Mutou, but he will lose to my brother. Then since Mutou loses this one, _he_ defeats my brother. Indeed. I must tell Maximillion. These cards have never lied to me.'**

**She stood, putting the cards away, and dousing the incense stick with a few drops of water. She dressed for bed, her wet clothes fighting to come off her. **

**As she climbed into her bed, she thought again of Kaiba. 'There is something hidden about Kaiba. Something I want to find out. I cannot let my brother get hold of him until he has dueled Mutou. I must reach him before then. Of what my brother thinks, I will pay no heed. I will not go against my better judgment.' She smiled to herself as she thought that. 'Judgment indeed, I am the one to stake risks upon all this am I? So be it, whatever they may be.' She lay down and was asleep in a matter of minutes.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte.

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****She stood away from the rest of the duelists. She was neither one of them nor did she much care for Duel Monsters at all. Her eyes swept over the hordes of people, choking on the mere sight and stench of them. 'How can anyone live in such a throng of people? How can they stand the sight, or smell, of them?' she shook her head as she stepped into the shadows, the group that Mutou traveled with strode past her, looking into the shadows and being unable to see her, hurried on whispering amongst themselves.**

**She glanced up at her brother. She did love him, but she just could not respect him. His methods were dirty and not at all the ones she would use if in his place. He was just too conniving. **

**Oh, how she changed under the light of day.**

**Cynical and cold, she gazed at everything with a look unfathomable; there was not a way, with words, to describe it. But, behind her gaze, there lurked thoughts that she kept hidden from even her brother. 'I know my brother is planning on finding a way to use Kaiba, but how I don't know. I cannot let him get to Kaiba. It just cannot be done. Gods, now what have I truly gotten myself into? Do I even want to know? Damn it, why am I staking risks upon this again; oh yeah, my damn cards."**

**She stepped out of the courtyard, aware that her brother's gaze was on her back. She was supposed to watch over duels she saw and made sure that no duelist was cheating, but she'd let some slip, her brother knew that she would.**

'**Blue, how could he be though? How could Cecilia know of the Wind and Sea? How could she!' she clinched her eyes shut as her thoughts drifted in a direction she'd gone many a time before, yet, still had no answers. Whatever the cause of her sudden interest in her brother's opponents gave her a chill, because even with all her powers, there was something hidden in Kaiba and Mutou, mainly Kaiba, which scared her.**

**No matter though, she was still determined. Whatever the cause, she'd find out when she spoke with Kaiba. By that time, he had come out of his coma –– she hoped. She let out another uncharacteristically defining sigh. She had to stop doing that. She'd end up with a reputation as a softy if she kept it up. **

**She sped up her pace; her brother's goons were following her. She lost them in the trees, the fools unused to the darkness and unmarked pathways of the woods, and leaned back against the trunk of the one in which she had hid. Letting her legs hang down, she closed her eyes and fell into a highly irregular sleep.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte. _

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'_**Where am I?' she looked around and found herself in a dark, a horrendously dark, place. She could see in front of her just barely, but the seeming presence that lurked all around sent shivers up her spine. 'This must be the Shadow Realm. This must be the place my brother was talking about. But, the sense of animosity coming from the shadows is almost overwhelming. Only a strong soul could survive an extended time in this place.'**_

_**She pulled at her foot to see if she could move. She found small hands holding her down, but their grip was easily broken. She started forward; feeling what she was supposed to do here was in that direction. Breathing was harder in this place; she found that walking only so far tired her beyond comparison. The distance had not seemed far, but what she saw when she bent over to catch her breath made her realize otherwise.**_

_**A young boy sat in front of her. A mop of brown hair was the first thing she saw. She knelt down next to him and leaned over to see what he was doing. There was a puzzle in his hands. It was round, and the pieces each had an image or a feeling expressed on it. She saw the boy reach for a piece that was black, hatred came to Starlyte's mind, but at the last second before he touched it he pulled back. She reached over and picked it up, startling the boy.**_

_**His head shot up, emotions running wild behind his eyes. From her position, she couldn't see the color of his eyes, but she leaned in closer and then promptly fell back. Landing on her backside rather roughly, she let out her fist words since arriving in the Shadow Realm. The small shriek of pain and the few curses that accompanied it that let loose from her lips gave the boy a reason to smile. She stared at him, a small smile lighting her face, one that wasn't vindictive or conniving.**_

'_**So, this is where Yugi Mutou sent Seto Kaiba. Six months in this place, I would have gone crazy by now.' The boy extended a hand and she accepted. He pulled her closer to him, with the strength of his mortal body counterpart. He showed her what he was doing, and with a slight touch on her hand, she received a message. 'So, he's trying to put his soul back together. Well, I think I might just aid him. After all, I need to speak to him alive.' She reached over and picked up a small, incredibly small, pink-shaded piece. The boy furrowed his brow in disgust. She pushed the piece at him anyways.**_

_**Grudgingly he accepted it. She then saw him reach out for a piece that assured her that it was Kaiba. His hand landed on one that clearly represented stubbornness and pride. She felt her eyes lighten from their normally cold reservoir of hate, and found she liked it. He looked at her, shocked again, and reached out to touch her face.**_

_**Before her eyes, he was a boy no longer but the eighteen-year-old KaibaCorp CEO. His hand cupped her cheek and she found herself pale blushing. The blood was rushing from to her face, as pale blushing does; no one had ever dared touch her as intimately as he did at that moment. His fingers barley grazed the tip of her ear and his thumb ran along her jaw. His eyes held hers and she found she was powerless to do anything but comply with what he wanted. As rare as it is, he smiled at her. It only made the blood pool at the base of her neck, gorging the vein that rested right under the skin.**_

_**His other hand held the completed puzzle to his chest and as it was absorbed there, the hand moved to the back of her head. His other one slipped down her side and wound around her waist. Being pulled roughly, she found herself in his lap with his lips resting at her ear.**_

"_**Thank you. I will give a proper gratification when we see each other next time." His breath was hot against her ear and again her body heated up. His voice was seductive and smooth, but calloused with pain. She clinched her eyes shut and just melted into his embrace. Again, he spoke close to her ear, "But, in case we don't, I'll give it to you now." His lips found their way to her neck. Slowly, he kissed his way up to her lips. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips before waiting for her to open her eyes.**_

_**She drew in a sharp breath as she did so. His eyes were clouded with an emotion strange to her. An almost needy smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he spoke, "Would you open yourself up to someone whom you barely know?"**_

"_**I would if they made me feel like I do now." The smile disappeared as he rested his head against her neck. His lips were at the pulse point on her neck and as he kissed her, she felt it speed up under her skin. His lips moved against her skin in a question.**_

"_**Why?" her hand found their way to grip his hair, and as he pulled back from the sudden contact, she caught his mouth with hers in a brutal kiss. She kept her hands at the back of his head, running her fingers through the silky tresses. She gave in to him, letting him dominate her. They only pulled back when the need for air became too great. She was panting and she found he was as well. His eyes had lost the strange emotion and she found that she was being pulled away.**_

_**She grasped for him, but he only shook his head, the darkness almost consuming what he said, "Let the wind of the shadows carry you back. I'll remember your face, and you must remember mine, we'll see each other again soon." She let out a howl and in a last attempt to grab him cut through his clothing, and left three gashes down his chest. The sight of the blood shocked her, but he just shook his head again. Everything then went black.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte.

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**She sat up, her body drenched in a thin layer of sweat. She brought her hand up and found blood on her claws. Whatever that dream was, she'd hurt someone. Slowly she brought the digits up to her mouth and licked off the blood. 'Kaiba's blood . . . wait, how do I know that?' she was confused, but she jumped from the tree anyways. Walking away from her dream, and the thoughts that had arisen because of it, she wandered into a clearing. A duel box stood in the center, one of the things Kaiba had created and her brother had taken the liberty of amping it up, if she were forgiven the use of such a phrase. Mutou was just exiting the box, a ventriloquist was whining in the center and she felt a strange urge to end his suffering by slitting his throat and draining him dry.**

**A chill ran up her spine as she saw what lay at the ventriloquist's feet. It was a doll, modeled after Kaiba. She decided to act out her earlier thought. Only thing is, she dragged the ventriloquist into the forest before acting. She licked the blood off her hand and bottled the rest. She slipped the bottle into her bag and then walked out.**

**The group stood, backs ramrod straight, and eyed her warily. She just walked over to Mutou. Her eyes flicked back to the box before she spoke.**

"**What happened?" the others relaxed, but Mutou didn't. He seemed unwilling to trust someone of the Pegasus name.**

"**I dueled a fake who held Kaiba's deck." He cast his gaze towards the box, "I . . ." his voice faltered as he saw the box empty. "It seems that the ventriloquist has disappeared, but that is no matter. Have you come to try and disqualify us as well?"**

"**Look, my brother is a sneaky ass, and I'm not siding with him on this matter. Besides, I'm only here to watch." She let her tongue run over her lips, "So, you need any kind of help here? Anything I can do?"**

"**Why would you help us?"**

"**Because my brother is a lowlife who can't carry his own weight and I'm tired of him depending on me? Is that a good enough reason for you?"**

"**Yes. But, and I don't mean any disrespect, why would a Pegasus betray the company I2? Is there dissention between . . ."**

"**Dissention between me and my brother right? No, we aren't fighting. I'm just repulsed by his lack of showmanship and fair play. It's as simple as that. Besides, my brother 'ain't gonna' make it out of this tournament any saner." The others just looked at her, shocked at her words. She took their silence as an answer. "Look, if you don't want my help fine. But I'll make sure, somehow, that my brother doesn't screw up your chances of getting into the castle."**

**She walked off, letting her words hang in the air, and not caring much if they followed. She had other things to do. She had to find Kaiba. She knew he'd show up somehow. Her vision clouded because of the sudden darkness of the trees, but she kept on. These forests were as well known to her as the back streets in the Domino slums.**

**Her thoughts traveled back again, to the sudden show of compassion from Kaiba. 'That couldn't have been a dream. There's no way. I remember it too clearly.' She shook her head and lit in a tree as she heard more amateur duelists approach. That would be the last thing she needed, duelists to come and approach her.**

**She hated Duel Monsters with a passion. She hated it because her brother used many of Cecilia's drawings as cards for the kinder type of monsters. She hated him for that. She hated Duel Monsters for that. She hated everyone who was even associated with Duel Monsters because of it. she assured herself of this, though meeting Mutou had cast in doubts.**

'**Kaiba's different though. I have never doubted that. He doesn't use any of the kinder types. I think he understands that they aren't true monsters.' Her thoughts, always returning to Kaiba, were sporadic. They scared her as well.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte.

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_**Darkness again, but this time there was no presence calling her anywhere. She felt hopelessly lost. **_

_**Warmth flooded her vision as a pair of arms circled her waist.**_

"_**I'm waiting for you, Starlyte. Come to me." lips found her neck and started to kiss her. She moaned and melted back into the embrace. The lips moved up to her ear and spoke, seductive and familiar was the voice. "Then wake up and find me."**_


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampiri Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

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**Dreams again, and they were coming frequently, much more frequently than she'd ever dreamt before. Though not like the one she'd had earlier, this dream was almost as life-like. She was starting to scare, not an easy thing to accomplish.**

**She sat up, and wiping the leaves off her, stood up. She pulled her hair back, the previous bun she'd had it in was a wreck, and she would not face anyone looking like this. Using her fingers to straighten her hair, she walked towards the sound of the nearest duel. It didn't sound like any of the previous duels she'd overlooked earlier that day. No, this one sounded almost real; like the monsters could attack at any given moment. She smiled inwardly to herself and kept walking, her pace brisk but comfortable.**

**When she came to the edge of the clearing, her voice and her breath caught in her throat. Kaiba stood in the clearing with the same regal bearing and the same cocky smile in place on his face. **

**Slowly, she made her way around the group that Mutou was traveling with, crossed the area of sparse tree growth, and hid herself in the trees behind Kaiba. She watched, fascinated by the reality of the monsters. They looked as solid as she felt. **

**The biggest shock was when Kaiba looked over his shoulder and caught her eyes as he summoned his Blue-Eyes White Dragon. His face lit up in a sadistic and feral smirk, almost as if he knew what she was.**

**She shrugged it off and faded back into the shadows, more than she was currently. She tried to ignore the look in his eyes, but she couldn't. She just couldn't ignore the way he'd looked at her. The shadows haunting his eyes, she knew those would never leave; but when he'd caught sight of her they'd lightened and changed. She shrugged it off again and watched as the dragon destroyed the black one in front of it. The one she'd saved, Joey, the blond, fell to his knees in front of Kaiba.**

**She ignored the trivialities of their words and opened the vial she had capped off earlier. She downed the entire thing and popped in a mint, she liked the taste of the blood, but she couldn't have the scent lingering on her breath. The little bit, Droplets, she had taken in earlier could last a few hours but not longer. This vial should stabilize her for the remainder of the tournament.**

**She closed her eyes and waited, waited for Kaiba to come anywhere near close enough for her to reach out and touch him. Anywhere near close enough to grab him and demand what he knew of her. She waited, and for what seemed like an eternity of seconds, he just stood, right out of her reach, his eyes searching the foliage. He shook his head and walked away from her. **

'**No one ignores me like that! I mean no one! Who does he think he is!' she followed him, her anger building inside, raging. Keeping to the shadows and watching his movements, she waited for the weak point in his stride to show. She saw it and waited for the next one.**

**When it came, she had her sword at his neck. She snarled as he just laughed. His hand gripped her waist and her grip faltered of the hilt of the sword. He took advantage of the slackened grip and knocked the sword from her hand. It lay of the ground, the light illuminating both their faces. She snarled at him again and he just laid his hand over her mouth to stop the noise.**

**He then kicked her legs out from under her and had her in his arms. Shock clearly showing on her face, he just stared down at her. His eyes lit with a feral glee as he saw her fear show in her eyes.**

"**So, a Fulira dhampira can fear then? I'm surprised." Anger replaced fear and she clawed against his arms as he finished speaking. His enjoyment only showed even clearer as she did so. The feral gaze had left his eyes and what she saw replace it was as strange as the emotion she saw in her dream. "Do you fear the fact that I know what you are, even though I do not know you name?"**

"**It is the fact that you knew from only one meeting that scares me. What are you?" she was grateful he'd had nothing to do with the dream from which she had just woken, the dream in which he knew her name.**

"**I'm merely someone who is intrigued by the mystery surrounding the legends of the dhampira. That is all."**

"**Liar!" she spit out that one word with enough vehemence to make him loosen his grip on her. She fell to the forest floor with a small thud. He recovered his wits and had her pinned quickly.**

"**I was expecting a bigger fight from a Fulira dhampira. But, a distracted one would be an easy one to overcome or defeat, wouldn't it?" he gave her a small smirk. "But, where are my manners. I forgot you were the one who actually gave me a reason to come back didn't you? You also made me make a place in my soul for the ability to love. I must hate you for that, shouldn't I? But I don't. I can't."**

"**So what, you never would have gotten out of there had I not! Besides, I needed your help."**

"**Oh, you needed my help, what for?"**

"**Jerk!" she freed her hand and flipped him over. She straddled his hips and held his hands above his head. "Never let your guard down, never!"**

"**Fair enough," She furrowed her eyebrows together, confusion lighting her face, but she did not give him a chance to escape her grip. "Confuse you did I? Good. You've got me confused enough as it is."**

"**How," her voice came out in a whisper, the sound shocking her own self, "how have I confused you?"**

"**By being part of a clan I've tried to disprove the existence of, of being the part of the clan that took my parents from my brother and me. For being someone who stole my heart at the first glance of the depths that lie in your eyes! That's why!" Starlyte recoiled from his words and stood up. Her eyes caught his as he stood and she fell against a tree. Her eyes connected with the ground and his shoes came into view.**

"**One of my clan was killing parents? I've heard nothing of the sort!" she looked back up and his eyes scared her, for however many unaccountable times since she'd first seen him.**

"**Yes. But, it wasn't one that would be directly related to you. No, it looked nothing like you." His hand came up and stroked her cheek. She found herself helpless at his touch again. "Of course, you would know nothing of it. The damn thing burned down the house after it had its way with both my parents." His thumb ran along her jaw and then his hand moved to cup the back of her head.**

"**Hatuhukra, do you know how long it's been since someone has had enough sense to actually see the truth of what I am?" she smiled lightly as she felt herself being pulled closer to him. She knew whatever he wanted she would be unable to resist him. She was his no matter what her mind tried to say. She'd been taken with him the same as he with her.**

"**Good. I like being a person who can do that." His mouth moved next to her ear and she bared her neck for him. Slowly she felt a prick, and then the full-blown pain of the bite of a dhampira. She closed her eyes tightly as a scream tried to rip its way out of her throat. She felt the blood that escaped his closed lips and she brought her hand up to catch it.**

**He drew back and she licked the blood that was on his lips off. Their mouths met and their tongues battled for dominance. He pulled back and shifted the collar of his trench coat to bare his neck. She swallowed hard before clamping her mouth down. A grunt of pain escaped his lips and she drew out just enough blood to take what he drew from her. The metallic taste filled her body and she felt like she hadn't for years.**

**This time she drew back and he took the blood from her lips. Meeting the need of both dhampiri, their mouths battled for dominance again as they fell to the ground, joining the leaves and claiming the other again and again.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampiri Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

* * *

**

**Starlyte opened her eyes as the moonlight streamed through the trees, it had cleared while she slept. She sat up and her hand went instinctively to her neck. The puncture wounds from Kaiba's bite were scarred over. She'd carry the mark the rest of her life, and she, for some strange reason, didn't mind. Standing, she let her hair loose from the hold it was in. The telltale bump at the back showed it had been slept in, but her hair hid the mark, at least for now.**

**She made her way through the forest. She left Kaiba in the clearing. She couldn't be there when he woke. It was still night and he had things he still needed to do. She wasn't about to stop him. She'd wait until the end of the tournament to approach him again. Until then though, she could amuse herself.**

**She moved the underbrush away from her. Some amateur duelists were going at it. She smirked to herself as she baited them both. They lost concentration too quick for her tastes, they were obviously tired, and so she searched for someone else to play with.**

**Coming upon no one, she made her way to the castle, the sun was just coming up over the horizon. She let her shield fall in place as she came within range of her brother's telepathy powers. 'Damn him. I can't think to hard about what happened between Kaiba and me or about Kaiba in general. But, at least it isn't boring in the castle. There _is_ a sizeable library. I need to check out Kaiba's story.'**

**She entered, the guards bowing slightly, and walked towards her brother's study. It couldn't really be called a study because all it consisted of was a long table, Crochett's presence, her brother's favorite comics, and a television. She opened the door and saw her brother in his normal spot at the head of the table. A comic book lay open in front of him and she shuddered. Her brother acted like a child.**

**He still didn't see her, and with her shields up, he couldn't sense her. She came up behind him and set her sword at his neck. Her brother jumped slightly; being startled at the suddenness of the sharp edge and cold metal at his throat; and nicked his neck on the blade. The smell of the blood nearly drove Starlyte's senses wild, so, with as much control as she could muster, she wiped it off on her hand and brought it to her lips. Her sword found its sheath and she sat next to her brother. The blood was trickling down her hand and she was trying her best to get all of it.**

"**What brings you here, Starlyte?" her brother's voice was shaking slightly, and she grinned to herself. She loved being able to make her brother afraid, and blood absolutely terrified him. **

"**No reason Max! Can't your loving sister visit you once in a while?" Maximillion shook his head. "Oh well. I actually got bored on the island, no one to play with." Starlyte put her hands up in a fake mockery of her brother, "Now, that's just not right, no one to play my little games with." She smiled as she saw her brother's face start to heat up. "Oh, does Max not like that? Perhaps I should say something else," her voice stung Maximillion hard. She was copying his mocking childish voice to her own advantage. She smiled at him.**

"**Don't fool around Starry, you know I'm doing this for both of us. Cecilia could come back if we do this. We could . . ."**

"**Shut the hell up!" her tone wasn't joking anymore, "Just shut the hell up. I want Cecilia back, but not at the cost of other people's lives! Leave Mutou the hell alone, and leave the Kaibas the hell alone!" she stood, clearly pissed, and stalked out. She made her way to the library. She was mad at herself for letting her brother get to her like that, but she hated being called Starry, and the fact that her brother planned to use other people's lives just so he could bring back Cecilia war repulsive no matter how much a side of her wanted him to be able to complete his plans. 'I want her back, but not at the cost of three other lives. I only kill because it is necessary to live, but not my brother. He's blessedly free of the curse of being a dhampira, damn him, damn him to hell.'**

**Her footfalls echoed through the hallway and she changed her mind from going to the library. Her brother would think to look there for her first. She turned down a different hallway and flung the door to her room open. Starlyte pulled open one of her drawers and picked up a small doll. She let the last drop of her brother's blood fall on it, staining the fabric of the doll permanently. She jabbed three or four pins in just to relieve her anger, and upon hearing her brother's footsteps approaching outside her door, she jabbed a few more in.**

**A sadistic smile lit her face, but with every other pin she shoved in, it faltered more and more as she heard her brother's breathing become gasps. Starlyte pulled out all the pins then set the doll down and walked to the door. As she opened it, she saw her brother on his knees, gasping for air. His burgundy eye looked up at her and fear was evident in them.**

"**You think me weak don't you? You think me a coward for not dueling Mutou at the beginning, don't you? I am. I know it. I am weak, and I am a coward, but that is who I am Starlyte."**

"**Oh shut up Maximillion. I'm tired of your bull. I'm tired of your lies. You know damn well that neither of those attributes suits you. You are not weak and you are not a coward. You are though, a lying son of pig, and a sneaky ass. Now, get up off the floor, and go do whatever it is you do. Yank off or stare at Cecilia's picture, I don't care. I don't want her back now. I have something else, and she knew this would happen! You cannot deny her sight. So, leave my doorway you godless son of a pig, and leave me be for the remainder of this tournament of yours." She slammed the door and heard her brother stand. His footsteps faltering down the hall and she could sense the unease of his mind. She smiled to herself and lay down on her bed. She'd sleep while she could.**

**This time she invited her dreams.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampiri Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

* * *

**

_**She was walking, like always, but this time it was different. She was on a battlefield, one that looked familiar, though she couldn't say why. There was a body lying at her feet, she bent down and drank, taking in the memories that were allowed her through the blood in dreams. Yes, now she remembered, it was five years ago at the battle between the two major clans of the dhampiri, the Fulira and the Hatuhukra. It was vicious battle, ending in the slaughter of the main populous of both clans. Only fifteen of the few thousand that went into the battle, survived, and Starlyte had been one of those fifteen.**_

_**She walked around, looking at the damage. It seemed that she had done more than enough. After all, being the only surviving member of your clan did have its pros and cons. You were proved the strongest but it also meant you were subject to more than your fair share of attacks after the wars. She was lucky to have slain the leader of the other clan that day.**_

_**She stepped into a familiar area, and watched, almost sadistically. There she was; her sword shone and her teeth gleamed in the last light of the setting sun. This was her favorite battle. Nevertheless, there was something that she felt she should remember about it though. The real Starlyte walked over to her counterpart, she was so young then. Barely thirteen and still she'd been a hell of an opponent. She smiled, admiring who she had been. Her finger moved to her chin and she searched for the wound she had received that day. **_

_**It wasn't there, and she was so sure that she had received the wound at sunset.**_

_**Something caught the corner of her eyes and she saw her counterpart go down. There was the attack. She stepped around her counterpart, knowing her brother would arrive soon and help her. She moved towards the attacker. He seemed to be able to see her, strange. He was a boy. A child merely, he was barely older than she had been. She knelt down next to him. His eyes looked up at her and she forced herself away from him. She ran and found herself facing the elder version of the boy.**_

_**The blue eyes that had grown to mean so much to her glowered at her, and she found herself backed against a tree. The man's hands landed on each side of her face and he moved to where he was pressed up firmly against her. His mouth twisted in a sneer as she gasped at the contact.**_

"_**Starlyte, ah, such a pretty name." those eyes lost none of their intensity. "You are a liar, you know that? You forgot to tell me that you were in that war, even when you knew I was a Hatuhukra."**_

"_**I had no idea you were in the war!" his hand came up and hit her across the face, leaving a gash. He bent over and gently licked the blood from the wound. She tried to force him off her, knowing that he'd bite her eventually, making it the painful bite. "Get off me!"**_

"_**How about no?" he pulled his face away from her. "You lied to me Starlyte. You lied, and I don't approve of lying." His eyes stared into her head; threateningly he grabbed her chin with two fingers and forced her to stare up at him, "Why lie to me, why Starlyte?"**_

"_**You're really talking to me, aren't you?"**_

"_**Yes, now why lie?"**_

"_**I'm telling the truth, I didn't know you were in that war!" she shouted as she felt her body convulse with the aversion to a member of another clan. As she caught Kaiba's eyes, something clicked in the dark recesses of her mind, "You shot me down! Did you forget about that, you bastard? You shot me down!" he backed away from her at her outburst, the knowledge he'd clearly forgotten about that etched onto his features. He leaned against a tree and just looked away from her.**_

"_**Gods," he brought up a hand to his eyes. "You're right, I did shoot you down," He chuckled, "and I started yelling you out. Nevertheless, you lived and I was an enemy. I hadn't even known it was you until a few minutes ago." He looked up and at her, his eyes tormented. "I was beside you the entire time. This dream is ours, our memories. I do feel . . . repentant about shooting you now, but we were only thirteen weren't we? We hadn't known what passion was." His words were rambles, but there was a sense made, one that Starlyte felt inclined to agree with. She nodded, and moved beside him. **_

"_**That war will have to be put behind us." His hand reached out to grabbed hers. She entwined her fingers in his. **_

"_**I fought on the side I did because they claimed to be relations of mine. The only ones I thought I had left besides Mokuba."**_

"_**I killed the main of them I know. I wasn't called The Fury of the Fulira Dhampiri for nothing."**_

"_**Correct. But, can we again be on good terms?" nodding she was pulled against him. His lips found hers and she returned the force at which he was kissing her. Her arms were around his neck. She couldn't stay mad at him. No, they'd shared too much history together: the war, the loss of loved ones, and now the immediate, and intimate, past.**_

_**Starlyte opened herself up to him and allowed him to drink from her mouth. She knew that he would let her go eventually, all did, but she hung on to him, desperate for the time she had with him now.**_

_**He pulled back and she felt his gaze upon her. Her eyes were closed, and a slight trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth. He smiled as the blood disappeared when he bent his mouth next to her lips. His eyes changed as she felt the familiar tug of consciousness. She was waking up.**_

_**A small smile escaped her lips as she nipped at him. Then she was sitting in her bed.**_


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampiri Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

* * *

**

**Starlyte stood up. Her dreams were not the likes of anything she'd ever experienced before. Her mind found a quote by Oscar Wilde that almost sounded like what she felt with her dreams, _'A cigarette is the perfect type of perfect pleasure. It is exquisite and it leaves one unsatisfied. What more can one want?'_ Yes, but in her case it was her dreams. She felt like there was something truly missing from her dreams. She knew what it was. Her body wanted his arms, in realism, to hold her. Not an image sent out by his mind to invade her dreams. She wanted him to hold her and to kiss her as he did in her dreams, as they did the night before. It was a want that was foreign to her, and she embraced it fully, not caring of the effects.**

**She shook her head, trying to clear her mind, as she made her way to the walk-in closet in the room. She glanced over her wardrobe. She spied an article of clothing she had forbidden anyone to touch hidden under countless other pieces. She reached for it; it smelled of the dusty scent of old clothing. She smiled as she pulled it from the rack and walked to her bed. She lay the clothing down and just stared at it.**

**It still lay in its plastic wrap, and she made quick work to remove it. The outfit then lay, shining on her black coverlet. The silver top was low-cut. The bottom hem ended right at the top of her pants when she wore it. The sleeves fell off her shoulders. The edges of the sleeves ran down the back of her arms in a slant to where it ended high up her arm at one spot, and at her wrist in another, kept down by a band of elastic. The pants were a pitch black with silver threads lining the edges and seems. They hugged her hips and felt as though she wore nothing. She knew she would turn some heads in this outfit. She always did.**

**She pulled on the clothing, rushing slightly, and then strapped on her sword at her hip. She brushed her hair out, and then pulled the main of it, except her silver streaks, into a loose ponytail at the crown of her head. The streaks she curled and let them hang at the corner of her eyes. They only came down to her temple and were barely half an inch thick. But whatever she tried, she couldn't be rid of them. They weren't white-silver either. They were silver-silver, shining when the sun caught them.**

**She walked out of her room and made her way to the dining room. She opened the door and spied her brother. She walked over to his left and sat down. His eye widened at the sight of her apparel, but he said nothing, not wanting a repeat of yesterday. A tray was set down in front of Starlyte and she began to eat. Normal food was okay to her, but it didn't compare to the taste of the newest person's blood she had the pleasure of tasting. She licked her lips at the memory.**

**Pegasus looked at her, his eye betraying his thoughts. He was confused at his sister's antics; that was certain. He knew her too well to know that the food wasn't what had made her lick her lips, and a far-away look was replacing her menacing glare. He just kept her in the corner of his eye, trying to understand the sudden change in her personality.**

'**Starlyte holds a grudge for a long time and her anger towards me shouldn't have subsided already. But she's wearing that outfit. She'd told me that only under dire, or special, circumstances would she ever wear that again.' and he was right to worry and think that. He lifted his fork to him mouth and saw Starlyte move her fingers up to her neck. That's when he realized everything.**

'**Dammit, how could I miss that? She's been bitten by a dhampira. She chose to let him. Just who though? It couldn't be of the Fulira clan, and she hates the Hatuhukra clan. Whoever it is must be on my island. Dammit, who could it be?' he turned his head fully towards Starlyte. "Starlyte, where did you get that mark? Whose is it?" her neck snapped up and her eyes flared up in anger.**

"**What? What do you mean Maximillion? What mark?" she pulled her hair to cover the mark on her shoulder.**

"**This one," He reached over and pulled her hair away from her neck. The mark shown clearly on her pale skin and she stilled her movements. "Where did you get it? I know enough of dhampiri to know that it's a bite mark; one that was given under your consent, no less."**

"**Well, you want to know who? Then read my mind. Find a way past my barriers and then you'll see who it is." She stood, and left. Pegasus just stared at her departing figure more than just a little confused by her words. He turned his head when she was finally gone from sight and let it bother him no more. He'd find out, and she'd let him know who it was too. He smiled to himself and picked up one of his comic books.**


	10. Chapter 10

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampiri Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

* * *

**

**Starlyte strode down the hallway, towards the exit of the castle. She was pissed beyond any know limits. 'How dare he! How dare he assume I'd let just anyone bite me! How dare he assume I would tell him anything after what he's done!' she snarled and scared one of the no-name servants that crossed her path. She could feel his eyes plastered on her ass and she let her mind gloat.**

**She kept walking. She didn't know where she was headed, and she didn't care. She only wanted to be as far away from her brother as possible. She stopped and looked at her surroundings, and for the first time she felt the pangs of fear start to hit her heart because she knew she was lost. She smiled and then let out a laugh.**

**She leaned against a tree as the laughs racked her form. She held her arms around her chest and leaned her head back against the tree. 'This is what has been coming for a long time. I'm finally going crazy!' she felt the tears running down her cheeks, but made no move to stop them. She kept laughing; she couldn't stop. Her mind stayed on the fact she'd finally lost it, and it brought neither relief nor fear.**

**That's how Kaiba found her, laughing and in tears. He watched her for a good ten minutes before summing up that she'd gone under too much stress in the last forty-eight hours. He stepped over to her and placed both his hands on her shoulders. He shook her none to gently and she blinked.**

**Once, twice, before she stopped laughing.**

**Her gaze focused on him and she smiled. It was strained and the proof came when she fell, unconscious, into his arms. He picked her up and carried her with him. This was the first time he'd actually held her without the thought of finding out something or with malice in his touch. He'd grown too close to this woman already. With her mark scarring his shoulder, he'd never be free of her, just what he wanted; he believed.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampiri Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

* * *

__****Starlyte crossed over a river, dhampira having no fear of running water, and stared at the monument that stood in front of her. She stared up at it, and then recoiled slightly, recognizing the figure of the beast. It was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It stood, magnificently, gleaming in the sun.**

_**She stepped up to it and placed her hand on the statue. It was cool, delightfully so, for the sun of this land she was in was burning her skin and face. She felt her heart start to pound as she saw a form coming at her across the sand. She knew the stride the man took as though she'd known him all her life. He approached her and stared down at her.**_

_**His eyes were cold, but they did not hold any emotion that she remembered seeing in his eyes before. She stepped back and turned around. She made off to run, with the knowledge that this man wasn't Seto Kaiba. She was almost five meters from the statue before a pair of arms caught her around the waist. She gasped at the contact, unable to shake the feeling that Kaiba held her.**_

_**She was incapable to do anything but to comply with him as he pulled her towards him. Her back hit his chest, firm ran through her mind, and she forced her eyes to stay open as his hands clasped her hips. His fingertips dug into her skin and she was forced to turn around roughly. Her eyes connected with a bronzed chest and a gold-lined cloth. She ran her eyes along the man's shoulders, his neck, and then his face. His skin was darker than Kaiba's, but his face, and his body's shape was the same.**_

"_**Who are you? Why do you dare to touch that which is mine and no other's?" the voice that spoke was different from Kaiba's, it was deeper, more seductive and it sent a chill up her spine not unlike that of what Kaiba's touch did. She stood still, her voice sticking in her throat. "Answer me woman."**_

"_**I do not know why I am here. But I know of that dragon, and I know of a person who can control it; one whose looks vary little from yours." She pulled from his grasp, as it had become slack as she was speaking. She straightened her shirt out and pushed back a strand of hair that had come loose. The silver streaks hung in her face, obscuring her view, the hairspray having long lost its effect.**_

"_**You are not from this time then? I can see the clothing you wear is indecent. But, if you say so, then it is my reincarnation to which commands these dragons. It is an interesting puzzle indeed, why exactly you are here." He turned, and with a wave of his hand, commanded her to follow. Not wanting to be left in the heat of the lands, she followed.**_

_**His stride was long, and it carried him further than hers did her. She picked up her pace to a light jog to keep up with him. He only watched her from the corner of his eye and then sighed as she started to lag behind again. He almost rolled his eyes as he waited for her to catch up.**_

"_**You are becoming tiresome, woman. For a dhampira you move very slowly." He picked her up, ignoring her cries of disapproval "Woman, you will be quite."**_

"_**Will you stop calling me that, you ass. I have a name you know."**_

"_**I do not know it, so I cannot very well call you by it now can I?" Starlyte closed her mouth and then opened it again. "Are you going to tell me your name or not?"**_

"_**Starlyte, my name is Starlyte."**_

"_**Very well then, it suits you though." He said not another word and left Starlyte to ponder his meaning. She felt his arms, strong and lean. They were hot with the sun and she felt the heat even through her clothing.**_

_**The sun was not giving up on burning her though; its rays hit her face with no remorse. She felt him let out a sigh and then her face was shielded from the light. She blinked and looked at the man holding her. His headdress was off, and it rested on her. She blushed and turned her head away as his eyes locked to hers. She just laid her head against his shoulder and let him carry her to their destination.**_


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampiri Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

* * *

**

**Kaiba continued on, he'd saw her running out of the castle, and he'd followed. Starlyte lay in his arms out cold and mumbling. He wasn't worried about that as much as the sudden pallor of her skin. He set her down on the annex tower roof and moved off to where he would meet Yugi.**

"**Starlyte, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?" his mind raced back to the war. 'The two main houses of the dhampiri clans lay in ruins because of one girl, that woman there, the Fury of the Fulira clan. Indeed, but there is still something else not known of her, something hidden from even herself. What is it? If I hadn't been in that clearing when I was, she would be dead by now.' He shook his head, still slightly dizzy from the poison that had been lacing the clearing. Starlyte reeked of it, and he hazarded a guess that whatever secret kept itself from her had added that to whatever perfume she'd decided to put on.**

**He spotted Yugi coming up the stairs to the tower and called out, shoving the thoughts from his head.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampiri Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

* * *

**

_**They were there, as a tall tower, taller than any that should be in this desert. She stared at the building, amazed. The man just continued on, not lessening his grip on her. She closed her eyes and looked away from the building; the structure reminding her of too much that was going on in her life.**_

"_**Woman, I take it that you have no reason, that you know of, to be here correct?"**_

"_**No, I don't, and I thought I told you to stop calling me woman, you bastard!" she struck at him and hit his cheek. Her claws grazed his face and left four, thin, bloody lines. She gasped and he dropped her on the ground. He reached up and ran the tips of his fingers along the lines, healing them and bringing back traces of blood. Starlyte found her throat drying up at the sight of the blood; he only looked at it and then made to wipe it off.**_

"_**Don't do that. Please." He looked up, almost startled. He let her walk up to him and she took his hand. She brought it up to her lips and she took the blood. It healed the poison in her veins and she closed her eyes as he took his hand from her. The blood was the same. "Thank you. I'm . . . sorry for striking you." She let her head hang slightly. **_

"_**It is well, wo . . . Starlyte. Follow me. This time, keep up." He started off, and Starlyte followed. She lifted her hand to push her hair back, and found his headdress was still on her. She lifted it off, trying to figure why he wore it. "It's a sign of my position, if you wanted to know." She jumped when his voice sounded. He turned around and held open a door. He wore a smirk and she tried to ignore what it could mean. She stepped past him and into a room that looked much like a bedroom.**_

"_**Where are we?" she turned around and saw him close the door. "What are you doing?"**_

"_**I want to talk in private, and the other parts of the castle are unsafe to speak in." she nodded, still wary of what he had planned. "If you think I'll try something licentious, you needn't worry." She nodded, still slightly uneasy and watched as he stepped up to her. He took his headdress from her hands and placed it on a table. Then he motioned for her to take a seat on the bed as he sat down. She sat, and then took in the room.**_

_**It was beautiful, something she'd not expected from where she was. She didn't care much for what he room was made of, but it rivaled even the morbid beauty of death. She saw him smirk from the corner of her eye and turned towards him.**_

"_**Who are you?" her voice was strained, she was confused and she didn't like the feeling, not at all.**_

"_**I am the High Priest of Ra. I should ask why you are here, but since you've already said you didn't know, I should make a guess. Most likely, dhampira, it is because someone poisoned you with a very rare herb. It places the person who had ingested it into a . . . visionary sleep."**_

"_**That couldn't be right." She shook her head, unless it was her brother, she couldn't remember of any kind of thing she'd taken in before this.**_

"_**The herb can also be burned and the smoke used to put one into the sleep, or ground and the juices placed into a perfume." Starlyte looked up to his eyes and then closed hers. She let a small smile grace her face.**_

"_**Here I thought I had gone crazy." She laughed lightly. "It's good to know that I haven't." she sighed and the placed her elbow on her knee, with her chin resting on her upturned palm. "But how do I wake from this . . . visionary sleep, as you called it?"**_

"_**The herb must wear off." She nodded absent-mindedly and closed her eyes again, enjoying the chance to relax.**_


	14. Chapter 14

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampiri Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

* * *

**

**Kaiba jumped from the ledge, he'd significantly beaten Yugi, even if he'd had to play dirty. He took the starchips handed to him and walked off after picking up Starlyte. She was still out, and he was beginning to get worried. The mumblings had ceased, but her skin was only getting paler. It looked as though she had no blood in her whatsoever.**

'**Starlyte, you had better wake up soon.' He was attached to her, he knew that, but how attached he wanted to find out. He wouldn't fall in love; he refused to let himself wallow in such a weak emotion.**

**She felt like nothing in his arms; she weighed so little. 'But that's a problem with being a dhampira; you don't weigh hardly anything at all.' His eyes flitted closed for a second, mainly to ward off the sudden blindness that comes after being outside in an unusually bright day and then walking into a dimly lit building. He walked through the hallways and stopped when he found himself waiting for something.**

'**Her, just what I need another distraction while I'm dueling.' He set her down, carefully. He didn't want to force her to wake from whatever poison she'd been given. He knew enough of things like that to understand it was exceedingly dangerous to do so.**

**He leaned against the wall and waited.**


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampiri Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.**

**

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****_Starlyte lifted her head up as the man sitting beside her stood. She blinked and tried to determine how long she'd been leaning against him. She saw the sun starting to disappear through the window. He moved to where he was blocking the light before she could guess._**

"_**You should have woken up by now. This is not normal. In fact, this is quite dangerous." he made to place his hand to remove his headdress and remembered halfway up that he wasn't wearing it. He lowered his hand and Starlyte stepped over to him, holding out the headdress.**_

"_**I'm not a completely heartless bitch." She flashed him a cocky smile as he took the headdress from her. "So, what time do you think it is?"**_

"_**It is shortly after four unless the sun is out of time." He caught her eyes with his. She blinked and turned her head away, a pale blush descending upon her cheeks. The blush spread as his arms wrapped around her waist. She felt his breath next to her ear. "You are excited by me." More of a statement than a question, but she still nodded. "But only because, to you, I look like the man you know in the future?"**_

"_**No. You are different." His back pressed against hers, a sharp gasp escaped her lips.**_

"_**How so?" Starlyte felt her voice catch in her throat as one of his hands rested flat on her stomach. The hand moved lower as she closed her eyes. A pair of lips started moving on her neck and she almost fell, had not his hands held her up. "I have a greater effect upon you? Perhaps this was no herb." He placed and open mouthed kiss below her ear and then turned her around.**_

_**Her eyes were half-lidded and her lips were parted only so far apart as to let a small sight of her tongue. He lowered his head and captured her lips with his. Her head was spinning from the pure force his lips were moving with and she all but melted in his arms. He pulled his head back and gazed down at her.**_

_**Starlyte cracked her clinched eyes and saw a smoldering gaze staring back at her. Her breath hitched in her throat and he pulled her back up to his lips. She quickly lost herself in the heat that was spreading over her body, and she felt herself as helpless as she ever did in Kaiba's arms.**_

_**Again, he pulled back and Starlyte rested against his chest as he picked her up. Carefully he set her down on the bed, she didn't object. His lips sought after hers again and she responded, passionately.**_


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampiri Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

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**

**Kaiba opened his eyes with a start. Something was wrong, terribly so. He could feel it, something was happening to Starlyte. Whatever it was, it was making the bite on his neck throb. The pain wasn't unpleasant, but it burned with the heat he'd only felt in her arms. There was something going on, something he couldn't identify.**

**He knelt down next to her; a thin trickle of blood was flowing from the corner of her lips, and the bite on her neck was bleeding freely, as if it had been reopened, and by another bite. Carefully he picked her up again. She wasn't going to leave his sight, not until she woke up.**

**He made it three steps before she opened her eyes. She blinked, silver meeting blue, then screamed.**


	17. Chapter 17

******I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampiri Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira. _

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_**

_**Starlyte lifted her head up as the man sitting beside her stood. She blinked and tried to determine how long she'd been leaning against him. She saw the sun starting to disappear through the window. He moved to where he was blocking the light before she could guess.**_

"_**You should have woken up by now. This is not normal. In fact, this is quite dangerous." he made to place his hand to remove his headdress and remembered halfway up that he wasn't wearing it. He lowered his hand and Starlyte stepped over to him, holding out the headdress.**_

"_**I'm not a completely heartless bitch." She flashed him a cocky smile as he took the headdress from her. "So, what time do you think it is?"**_

"_**It is shortly after four unless the sun is out of time." He caught her eyes with his. She blinked and turned her head away, a pale blush descending upon her cheeks. The blush spread as his arms wrapped around her waist. She felt his breath next to her ear. "You are excited by me." More of a statement than a question, but she still nodded. "But only because, to you, I look like the man you know in the future?"**_

"_**No. You are different." His back pressed against hers, a sharp gasp escaped her lips.**_

"_**How so?" Starlyte felt her voice catch in her throat as one of his hands rested flat on her stomach. The hand moved lower as she closed her eyes. A pair of lips started moving on her neck and she almost fell, had not his hands held her up. "I have a greater effect upon you? Perhaps this was no herb." He placed and open mouthed kiss below her ear and then turned her around.**_

_**Her eyes were half-lidded and her lips were parted only so far apart as to let a small sight of her tongue. He lowered his head and captured her lips with his. Her head was spinning from the pure force his lips were moving with and she all but melted in his arms. He pulled his head back and gazed down at her.**_

_**Starlyte cracked her clinched eyes and saw a smoldering gaze staring back at her. Her breath hitched in her throat and he pulled her back up to his lips. She quickly lost herself in the heat that was spreading over her body, and she felt herself as helpless as she ever did in Kaiba's arms.**_

_**Again, he pulled back and Starlyte rested against his chest as he picked her up. Carefully he set her down on the bed, she didn't object. His lips sought after hers again and she responded, passionately.**_


	18. Chapter 18

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampira Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

* * *

****Kaiba opened his eyes with a start. Something was wrong, terribly so. He could feel it, something was happening to Starlyte. Whatever it was, it was making the bite on his neck throb. The pain wasn't unpleasant, but it burned with the heat he'd only felt in her arms. There was something going on, something he couldn't identify.**

**He knelt down next to her; a thin trickle of blood was flowing from the corner of her lips, and the bite on her neck was bleeding freely, as if it had been reopened, and by another bite. Carefully he picked her up again. She wasn't going to leave his sight, not until she woke up.**

**He made it three steps before she opened her eyes. She blinked, silver meeting blue, then screamed.**


	19. Chapter 19

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampira Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

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**

_**She gasped, his lips moved from hers as she called a name she knew was his. Her back arched, the high spiriting her to a new level of passion. She gripped the head of brown hair, pulling his face back to hers, letting the afterglow of their actions settle over them both.**_

_**He pulled her body closer to his, the bare skin rubbing together, making her feel a pleasant friction cascade over her nerves. The emotion was strange, but wonderful. She felt his chin rest on top of her head. His arms were wrapped tight around her waist, almost refusing to let go.**_

"_**Starlyte, Starlyte, how did you know my name?" she twisted her head back, staring deep into the cold pools of blue, seeing the warm intense eyes in her mind. Her throat caught. She hadn't realized she'd called out a name. No, and being correct of calling to the right name?**_

"_**I don't know. I just did, I guess." She buried her face in the crook of his neck, letting her eyes close. "But don't bother. I don't think that it is too important Set." Again the use of the name, though it was unknown to her. His arms tightened, and she felt a sudden pull around the middle of her spine. She was waking up. She pulled her face back and crushed her lips to his, intent upon leaving an impression. She was pulled away from him, and he didn't reach out, a blank look having fallen across his face.**_

_**She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she saw Kaiba's blue eyes peering down at her. She did the only thing she could do, she screamed.**_


	20. Chapter 20

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampira Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

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**

**Setting her down and clamping a hand on her mouth, Kaiba stopped the piecing noise that had shocked him into an abrupt awareness of how loud she could get. She closed her mouth, blinking and trying to pull from his grasp. He loosened his hold on her, and she ripped from the feather-light touch. She ripped her hair from the hold it was in and it tumbled down over her shoulders, effectively hiding the mark on her shoulder. Kaiba saw her shirt stained with the blood from the re-opened bite mark.**

**Reaching out, he cupped her cheek, forcing her to look up at him. Her eyes were tormented, ashamed he almost thought. Staring down at her, he drew her to him, wrapping her in his embrace. 'Damn me. Damn me and this heart I loathe.' He felt her arms wrap around him, the strength in the limbs surprising him. 'Indeed, this woman is a mystery. She is the strongest dhampiri alive, and yet, she is . . . weak with shame?' placing his chin on her head, he heard the very beating of her heart.**

**His hold on her shoulders loosened, and he forced her to look back up at him; this time he wasn't going to let her pull away. Bringing up one hand, he lifted her chin, holding it between his forefinger and thumb. She closed her eyes, but he could feel the torment that ran through her. The bite he'd placed on her allowed the connection. Tentatively, she opened her eyes, and upon seeing him staring down at her, she shut them tight, clinched.**

"**Starlyte, look at me." Trying to turn her head away, he forced it to face back up to him with a quick jerk. "Starlyte," His voice was bordering on menacing as he spoke her name again. She sighed and then forced her eyes to stay open. Once so, he quickly became incensed by the feelings, and images, that came to his mind.**

**Shoving her away from him, he turned and strode down the hallway. He hadn't noticed the man had looked like him. He hadn't noticed anything except that it wasn't he who was in her embrace. Stifling under the scowl he wore, Kaiba turned and found himself at a doorway. He knew this would lead him to Pegasus. He was ready for him.**


	21. Chapter 21

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampira Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

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**

**Starlyte collapsed to the ground; her legs too weak to hold herup any longer. Blinking back tears, she tried to suppress the memory of the look with which Kaiba had left her with. Disgust and antipathy, and so completely, so utterly, did the hatred show through, that everything that ever graced those eyes before it was gone from her mind. She found even her thoughts were choked as she forced herself to hold back the tears she hadn't spilt in over three years. Tears she said she'd never spill after Cecilia's death. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to stand.**

**She couldn't stay like this. No, she had to find somewhere safer, somewhere that someone wouldn't walk in upon her while in an emotional slump. She stumbled her way to the room she claimed as hers. Throwing herself on her bed, she fell into an exhausted sleep. No dreams visited her that night.**


	22. Chapter 22

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyteand the Dhampira Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

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**Pulling out of a stupor, she struggled to fight the hold that sleep held on her. As comforting as unconsciousness offered her then, she fought it with a strength she'd avoided before. Opening her eyes groggily, the bright sunlight that streamed through the, now, opened windows caused her to draw back. A heavy hiss seeped through her open lips and the tips of her teeth grazed the top of her bottom lip. Drawing away from the window, and keeping out of the light, she stumbled and cursed her way to her bathroom.**

**Shaking her hair out, she stripped her blood soaked clothing off her. Tossing her ruined silver blouse to the floor, she stared at herself in the mirror. She was well formed, not too big, but not too small. Moving her hair from her shoulder, she forced her eyes away from the bite mark, the tell-tale sign she'd given herself to someone she wasn't even sure cared for her in any other way than that of a short-lived obsession.**

"**His actions yesterday were atrocious; I don't doubt he's forgotten me already. He's probably off the island, partying over his conquest. Damn me, damn me, damn me." She continued her rant, the curses becoming more colorful as she opened her shower door and stepped in. Turning on the water to where a calming hiss of hot water rushed out at her, she let her thoughts drift to the last few days. She had given her blood to a man she'd barely know for a day. He'd taken it with no qualms.**

'**_He gave you his blood in return though.' _**

"**Shut up." She admonished the voice in her head, her conscience, if she had one, and started running a handful of conditioner through her hair. Slicking the locks back, she sighed, her breath leaving nothing in the air, nothing like the cold. Shaking her head, she cleared any stray thoughts, and focused her mind on seeking out her brother. She had to talk to him.**

**See, it was easy to stop thinking about Seto Kaiba. Yes, very easy to forget those passionate blue eyes, that warm embrace, those needy lips, that hungry force that she felt as he kissed her. . . she fell to her knees, tears pouring from her eyes again. She couldn't go on like this. She needed to find someone to take this out on. Maybe some rogue duelist. She nodded to herself, letting the monster in her take control. She faded back into her mind, she watched as her hands found the door to the shower. **

**It was like a dream, she controlled her mind, but her body was in control of something purely primal, something that called for blood; something that wasn't afraid to do what it wanted without guilt. She watched, detached and distant.**


	23. Chapter 23

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampira Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

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**

**She opened her eyes, now fully in control of her body. The last two days slipped her mind and she didn't care to remember them. She stood, knocking off the covers as she did so. For the past two days, she let her primal side take control, and that freedom was as terrifying as it was exhilarating. It was something she was ashamed of, merely because she enjoyed it, enjoyed that senseless waste of life. She'd not torched any houses though. Of that, she was sure.**

**Grinning like a fool, she took a shower. The water cascaded over her body, making her bare skin glisten and shine. Stepping out, still wearing that grin, she dried herself and dressed. Recognizing her clothing only as leather, she made her way to her brother's room. As she neared, the smile slowly slipped away and her thoughts gradually fell to the events that had caused her brother to sleep as he did.**

**Yugi Mutou had indeed beaten her brother. Nevertheless, _that_ hadn't caused him to have that cataclysmic attack. Whatever had happened, happened while she wasn't here. Sighing, she opened the door that led to her brother's room. His white hair lay spread around his face, spread in an arc around his head. She walked over to the bedside, her back straight, and her eyes focused on the movement of his chest, up and down, up and down, never changing.**

**She sat beside him, in a chair near to the bed, and placed a hand on his arm. She felt the blood surging through his veins. It was a healthy rate, and she moved her hand back to her lap. Just because she didn't like her brother, didn't mean she didn't love him. He was the only relative she had living, and she owed him her life more than once. He'd been the one to save her during the clash of the clans. She owed him big-time for that.**

**She blinked as she thought she saw movement. Giving it to nerves and a weakened emotional barrier, she dismissed it. She did until it happened again. His fingers flexed. She was sure of it, positive. Calling for Crochett, she gripped his hand in hers. The fingers gripped her, weakly but yes. She felt tears spring to her eyes, but they wouldn't fall, no, if her brother just even saw what was in her eyes, he'd be shocked. She'd let him.**

**She wasn't a lone wolf any longer.**


	24. Chapter 24

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampira Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

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**

**Six Months Later**

**Starlyte walked through the wind, it was biting and the feel of it caused a shiver to crawl up her spine and rest at the base of her neck. It would not leave her and she cast her eyes around. Yep, she was being followed. Probably one of those Rare Hunters her brother told her about. But she only saw one guy, so that couldn't be right. Rare Hunters traveled in groups, like a pack of wolves in winter. She shrugged, trying to give the guy the impression she hadn't seen him. **

**She let her long black and silver hair fall around her shoulders. The color had no contrast against the leather ensemble she wore. She walked on, the chill at the base of her neck didn't leave, and she heard footsteps behind her. She had been right; it was only one guy. She sped her pace up, her thought whirring around in her head, following the line of 'let him think he's got me.' She heard the footsteps break into a run and she forced herself to keep the same pace. She'd show this guy who was the victim. She hadn't fed in days.**

**A hand fell onto her shoulder and she turned around; her hand grabbed the wrist connected to the hand and bent the limb backwards and pressed upwards. The movement forced the guy against a wall, his arm held in an awkward position at his back. She saw a mop of blond hair and pressed the arm up harder.**

"**Ow, ow, ow, I give! Lemme go! Lemme go, Star!" the accent was pronounced and as the voice struck a chord in her brain, she reluctantly let go. She'd really wanted to feed. Joey Wheeler turned around, rubbing his shoulder and ginning like an imbecile.**

"**What do you want? And why were you following me?" she glared down at him, but her eyes held a light, laughing look to them. A smile threatened to appear as Joey hooked his arm trough hers.**

"**Draggin' ya 'round so Yuug and the guys can speak wid ya. An' we're doin' this 'cause we haven't seen ya for 'bout two months." She let herself be pulled along beside Joey. She didn't bother looking where he was leading her; she knew it to be the Kame Game Shop.**

**Over the last few months, she and the group: Yugi, Joey, Téa, Tristan, and Bakura, had become . . . close. She'd been sought out by them after her brother's retirement became public. They were curious about many things, and she'd done her best to satisfy their questions while still staying true to her vow to her brother.**

**Kaiba was constantly on her mind as well. She couldn't look in the mirror without thinking about him. The mark on her shoulder was faded, and you could only see it if you knew what to look for. The fact that he was holding a tournament in but a week made thinking about him ever more constant. Her employees, the card producers, were hounding her continually about approaching Kaiba for some of his ideas.**

**Of course, she'd adamantly refused. If she even saw him on the television, she would break down, if she were alone. It was hard to know how intimate what they'd done really was. She forced back her thoughts and gripped Joey's arm tighter. He blushed a deep scarlet and she flashed him a coy smile. He knew she was just playing because she'd been the one he'd gone to when he'd needed advice about his own love life; he'd claimed Téa was too close a friend to talk like he needed too.**

**Starlyte sidestepped the waiting embrace of Tristan who was waiting for her at the entrance to the Kame Game Shop. He was worse than Joey sometimes. She walked in, and spotted Yugi. She leaned down and embraced the shorter boy. As she straightened up, she was swamped with hugs, questions, and one kind grip of her hand from Mr. Mutou. The old man had always seemed to know exactly what to do.**

"**Okay, okay, gimme some room." Starlyte pulled from the cage of limbs and patted down her clothing. "It's good to see you again as well. Just don't kill me with all the excitement." She gave a light smile, and they led her to another room.**

**She was still astounded but how homey this place felt all the time. She fell onto one of the two couches and lifted her head so Yugi could sit down. She laid back down and felt a rag being placed on her face. Blinking open her eyes, she stared up at a pair of worried, violet orbs.**

**They all knew her secret, and they'd become used to her habit of putting off feeding for as long as possible. She smiled weakly up at Yugi; she knew they didn't care about her nature, as long as she wasn't caught or that she didn't kill someone innocent.**

"**Don't ask, and I'll eat for sustenance when I leave. I promise." The look in those kind and violet eyes softened and his form relaxed. Starlyte closed her eyes; she liked her visits here, it was peaceful. She listened to the chatter, occasionally inputting her own opinion. Then, the conversation eventually turned toward the upcoming Battle City Tournament.**

"**Star, aren't you going to join? You're really good . . ." Yugi stopped as she opened her eyes and fixed him with a glare. Her eyes had lost that friendly look, and burning with the same fire as when they'd first met.**

"**No. I'm not going to join." She sat up, stood, and went to help Mr. Mutou. Her words had been final, and the others didn't bother to follow her.**

**It was true, they had gotten used to her, but those mood swings were always unexpected and always seemed to happen when they started talking about Kaiba or KaibaCorp. Suspicions were sown and they were still trying to find out why. But neither Kaiba nor Starlyte would talk about what they asked. Knowing she'd come back in a few minutes, they continued their conversation, intent upon getting Kaiba out as fast as they could talk.**

**Starlyte though, found her way to the kitchen. Knocking on the doorframe, she announced her arrival, not wanting to give the old man a heart attack. She gave a shaky smile and reached out to help with the food, lunch to be more precise. It was about twelve-thirty.**

"**You blew up in there," Mr. Mutou caught her with a stern look, "You'll have to tell them about it eventually, you know." She nodded with her eyes adverted. She was cowed around him, mainly because he seemed to know things no one else had ever sensed about her.**

"**Not now, though. Let them find out when I've forgotten . . ."**

"**You'll never forget what it felt like." She looked up, her neck snapping into place sharply. His comment had struck a nerve, as well as causing her to blush, whether from shame or anger at his knowledge she didn't know.**

**All these reaction were new to her, and they'd only become more frequent as time passed. She liked this range of feelings; she liked it because it was a unique experience that was so different from her previously regulated life. She had Kai . . . **

**She closed her eyes; she just couldn't do it. Mr. Mutou was right, she wouldn't forget about what had happened or what she'd felt. She felt herself start to shake, and a warm, lined hand was placed on her shoulder. The contact pulled her from the self-berating reverie she fell into.**

"**Come now, don't worry right now. Yugi and the others are waiting for you." The old man smiled, the lines deepening around his mouth, and she felt a sudden burst of a feeling similar to that she had for her brother. It felt also like a mellowed version of what she held in her heart for Kaiba.**

**Pulling away from the comforting hand, she whispered her apologies and left. That thought scared her; it terrified her as much as the thought of losing her brother did. It just wasn't right. How could that have happened?**

**Starlyte swept her hair behind her, letting it ride on the wind. Her pace was rapid and she refused to slow down until she got home. She refused to pause until she knew what was truly going on in her mind and in her heart.**

**Walking past an alleyway, she felt a hand grab her. She broke from her thoughts and focused on the man who'd been stupid enough to touch her.**

"**Hey baby," she dodged his attempt at catching her mouth with his. The stink of alcohol hung in the air, and she gagged at the smell of the rotten teeth that were in his mouth. "C'mon, let's have some fun." He pulled a knife and her only reaction at the shine of the sliver blade was to raise a thin, black eyebrow.**

"**Fool." Her word cut through the air, and in his drunken-invincible state, he swung his hand at her, trying to knock her silent. It was the hand without the knife. She dodged with little effort, keeping her eyes on the knife. She grabbed tha hand holding the serrated blade, "Stupid. Drunken. Idiot." She bent the hand back, making the knife fall, and drew him toward her. For the briefest second lust stayed on his face, but the sobering act of flashing her fangs instilled the danger he was truly in.**

"**You want to play? Fine, I'll play." She placed her mouth at the base of his neck, gagging at the soiled and putrid taste of his skin on her tongue. She barred her fangs and spoke, "Stop struggling or this will really hurt." The man only fought her more. His voice failed him and she sunk in.**

**Yes, she was sadistic; she loved the pain that rushed through her victim when she bit. The blood rushed into her mouth, a flood of life. Swallowing it down, the liquid rushed through her, giving energy to her tired form. It was so sweet, like drinking liquid syrup.**

**The man's struggles and strangled cries of pain increased the bursts at which the blood flowed and the pleasure that shot through her body. She pulled the last drop from the body and let got of the lifeless form. The body landed on the ground with a loud thump as she wiped her mouth.**

**Stepping out of the alley, she started back at her pace, uneventful as before. Turning a corner, she rammed hard into someone. She saw a flash of brown before falling backwards and landing on her backside.**

**Groaning, she stood, rubbing her assaulted derriere. She stared up at the man she'd run into. His features were hidden it shadows; the sun was right behind him. It looked like a comical tryst to block the sun with a high-up hairdo. She tried not to laugh at how funny it looked.**

"**Sorry, I guess I wasn't watching where I was going." She pushed her hand towards the figure, a simple gesture of apologies. For a second, the man's hand was hesitant before it took hers. The fingers that wrapped around her felt oddly familiar, but she shrugged it off. How could they? She'd just run into the guy.**

"**Apology accepted . . . Starlyte." she felt he blood she'd just drank drain away from her face. It couldn't be him, no, it just couldn't! But gods, it was.**

**Seto Kaiba moved from out of the sunlight, his form was straight and his eyes cold. Swallowing hard, Starlyte looked up into his eyes.**

"**Kaiba, my, what a . . . pleasant surprise. I actually hadn't expected to see you until the Finals." She sighed mentally as her voice came out clear and smooth. The choking sobs that normally accompanied things dealing with Kaiba were gone, for now.**

"**Yes, indeed, but you haven't yet entered the tournament."**

"**I plan on showing up with Yugi. He'd determined to make it."**

"**I know."**

"**Well, goodbye, Mr. Kaiba." she turned, a pleased smirk plastered to her face at look of pure surprise that had crossed Kaiba's face. This might not be so bad after all.**


	25. Chapter 25

**I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampira Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

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**

**Opening her eyes, Starlyte groaned and rolled over. She burrowed deeper under her covers, refusing to move or wake up. The sunlight from her open drapes strea . . . 'Wait, open drapes!' she shot up, moving faster than even a morning person would, and reached to close the drapes.**

**As the sun fell through in the moment before they touched, Starlyte caught sight of her bite mark. It wasn't faded; instead, it was red and puffy, like it was just healing. She swallowed as he saw the blood that stained her negligee. **

**Placing a hand on her forehead, she surrendered to the darkness trying to consume her.**


	26. Chapter 26

******I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampira Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

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**

**Slowly, with the tiredness of sleeping to long, Starlyte pulled herself from the floor. How long had she been out? No longer than twenty minutes if her brother wasn't beating down the door by now.**

"**Gods, why the hell am I bleeding? That wound is . . . was a scar last night." She spoke to herself, inventing reasons where there was none. Moving with a sluggish rhythm, she forced herself to take a shower and dress. She made sure to pick a piece of clothing that covered the mark. **

**It throbbed with a burning fury and she tried not to succumb to the pain that ripped through her. She wished she knew what caused such a violent reaction. She wished she knew what caused such pain to Kaiba.**

**Trudging to the kitchen, she found her brother sitting at the table. He was pouring over a newspaper. To say the least, she was shocked. Then, he smiled and she remembered today was Sunday. He was reading the colored comics.**

"**If you aren't reading the front section, let me have it Max." Maximillion Pegasus looked up startled. His crimson eye stared at her, and the empty socket was barely hidden by a handful of hair. She took the outstretched paper and then ran her thumb over the empty socket in a loving gesture. "Thank you."**

"**Star, something hasn't been right with you lately. Whatever it is, it's bothering you enough to lose interest in torturing me." A sly grin fell into place on her brother's face, but Starlyte refused to fall for his trick. Sitting down, she opened the paper and blocked their faces from one another.**

**Raking her eyes across the page, she saw nothing of interest, nothing was happening except Battle City.**

**Starlyte had hidden here at her brother's resort for the duration of the tournament; she refused to show until the Finals. It had nothing to do with her conflicting feelings for Kaiba, not that she knew of at least.**

"**Star, you've got that look." As he spoke, Starlyte glanced up and realized he had taken the paper from her and was assessing her. Huffing in annoyance, she grabbed the paper back. "You were thinking about the dhampira, weren't you?" his tone was curious, not accusing as she felt he would feel. Starlyte suddenly felt ready to tell him everything. She found, in her heart at that moment, that she had kept this from him for too long. He had a right to know.**

"**Yeah, I was. Do you want to know who he is?" to her amusement, her brother nodded his head vigorously. He had wanted to know who _he_ was since the end of the Duelist Kingdom tournament. "Okay, but you have to promise not to blow up."**

"**I promise." His words came out quick, and she was glad he was in such a hurry to hear her tale. Otherwise, it would have been hard to get him to make a promise like that.**

"**Okay . . ." Starlyte told him everything, knowing her brother would understand in his over-enthusiastic mode. He didn't really hate Kaiba; Pegasus had just wanted his true love back. As Starlyte finished with her meeting with Kaiba three weeks ago, her brother stood. At first, she thought he was going to leave, to storm out in anger or betrayal.**

**He, instead, walked over to her and pulled her up into his arms. She felt so safe, so wanted, so loved. She felt everything that had never been in Kaiba's embrace.**

"**Star, that would make for a good romance novel." She smiled at her brother's ill-timed joke. "Still, I'm glad you didn't pine for him. And I think it _was_ good for you. You've become a better person." Her brother had never been one to comfort her, so those few words meant much.**

"**Thanks, Max."**


	27. Chapter 27

******I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte and the Dhampira Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

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**It was here, and it did nothing for her nerves. She had gotten back to town the day before, and now she was about to hyperventilate. Earlier, she had gotten up the nerve to tell Yugi and the guys what happened with her and Kaiba; they had reacted much in the same way her brother had. Now, she had Téa on one arm and Mai on the other. Serenity stood behind her.**

**The three girls were trying to calm her down; they were doing a really good job. Starlyte felt her heart slow and her breathing regulate. Walking through the mist, the four girls stood behind Joey and Yugi. **

**Starlyte noticed that Bakura wasn't with them. That sobered her up. Bakura reminder her much of Cecelia, they had the same type of personality. She sighed and shrugged. He'd show; she knew he would. Gripping the arms of both Mai and Téa, she sucked in a deep breath, forcing the air down into her lungs.**

**She let the air out, in one long heaving burst of air and tightened her grip on her companions' arms. They gave her compassionate glances, and all four trudged on. They came to the exit of the short, which had seemed so long to Starlyte, hallway. They were faced with the sight Kaiba and his younger brother; the guards were out of sight, and out of mind.**

**Another breath rushed from her lungs in a whoosh. Starlyte suddenly felt her heart skip a beat and the mark on her shoulder began to throb. Schooling her face into a trained grimace, she pulled in a lungful of burning air and ignored the pain gripping her.**

**Her footsteps were shaky, but she made her way with group, with the sheer aid of the girls' help. She stood in front of Kaiba, next to Yugi, with Joey on her other side. The bite mark flared in pain, from a slight prick to an unbearably sharp throb, and she fell to her knees with her arms crossed over her chest with one hand at her neck. Letting a shrill scream escape her, she clinched her eyes shut, dry tears pouring.**

**It was too much: the burn that spread through her like a liquid fire, the sudden ice that she felt covered her body, and the thoughts of mistakes and 'for the better' choices that ran across the landscape of her mind.**

**These thoughts weren't hers, that fire wasn't her mental torment, and that ice wasn't her composure. These feelings and thoughts came directly from Kaiba. They were so strong, so grounded into his nature, that the wave coming from him caught her like a fly in a spider's web. She was unable to free herself until Kaiba let her go or freed her from the bonds that bound them together.**

**Suddenly, the aura retracted; it left her gasping and straining for breath. Moaning with the pain of her weary and abused nerves, she stood, relying on the three other girls. Catching Kaiba's eyes, she dared him to do it again. Adverting his gaze, he called for the lights. Starlyte felt the others anger at the back of her throat, that pungent taste she'd grown so used to. She shook her head then jabbed it toward Kaiba. She didn't want a fight or any accusations that would condemn Kaiba.**

**Starlyte struggled to maintain her vision, but darkness was creeping around her edges of her vision and she gave in. before the gloom completely ate her vision away, she caught sight of Bakura just walking through the mist.**


	28. Chapter 28

******I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the affiliated characters. I do own Starlyte, Darsaina,and the Dhampira Clans, Hatuhukra and Fulira.

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**She was unbearably tired; so weak and drained from the dreams that were plaguing her. She didn't remember for how long the dreams involving Kaiba had been tormenting her again. But they were _different_ from what they used to be. Now she saw into _his_ dreams, without his knowledge. She was sure she would find a way to expel her from them if he knew.**

**Fighting, she reclaimed the consciousness that had flitted and lurked just out of her reach for the better part of the last sixteen hours. She just knew how long it had been, just as she knew she was on a down-feather bed with the softest pillows she'd ever felt. But, she could not yet feeling these things. She opened her eyes and a welcomed florescent light fell onto them.**

**The surroundings were shady, shifting. She closed her eyes and then forced them back open when the shadows tried to reclaim her mind. The objects were slightly clearer, but still no definite shapes. Straining for strength, she tried to coerce herself into a sitting position. Forcing down a scream that threatened to rise at the sudden movement, she encouraged her legs to hold her weight up as she stood. As she moved, she noticed neither the color of the room nor the incense and spell books that rested on a table near her. All she cared about was getting out of the room and finding Kaiba.**

**That bastard had caused this, and he was going to tell her why. He was going to or she'd kick his ass to hell and back. Pulling open the door, she found herself in an unfamiliar hallway. Sterile and orthodox, it looked like something pulled right out of a science-fiction novel.**

**She shuffled down the hallway, her muscles and nerves screaming in pain. Her feet were barely lifted from the ground, a poor attempt not to drag them. Finding a doorway, large and in a color that definitely meant Kaiba, she knocked. She pounded, as she grew annoyed at no answer.**

**As she brought her hand down one more time, the door opened and as her fist hit air, she fell forward into the arms of Seto Kaiba. The door closed behind her and she was led further into the room. With every step, she winced as the pain shot up through her legs. The grip Kaiba held on her arm would leave a bruise, thank you very much to her over-sensitized nerves.**

**She was shoved roughly into a chair and was handed a small cup. She looked at the liquid skeptically. If there was one thing she learned as a child of war, it was 'never accept food or drink from another clan.'**

"**It's for the pain. Now, drink, Miss Pegasus." The scathing command was followed without protest and the vile liquid, which looked like blood and dirt that obviously wasn't, disappeared down her throat. "Why exactly were you causing such ruckus outside my door, Miss Pegasus?" she gave a small grimace as a wave passed over her. The name 'Miss Pegasus' stung too. It must be payback for her calling him Mr. Kaiba. Whoever said 'payback's a bitch' was right, very right.**

"**I want to know why I blacked out and why I feel such pain from this damn mark!" she pulled the edge of her shirt away from her skin to reveal a red and bleeding mark. Kaiba reached out two fingers and ran them over the mark. His fingers came back bloody and he lifted them to his mouth.**

**Starlyte watched as he did so, and felt a heat pool through her. She lost the look that passed over Kaiba's face as she tried to suppress the sudden want in her.**

**She focused her gaze back on him and he deftly caught her eyes with his. Those orbs of blue scared her. They were so cold, so heated, and so dead. She'd never seen such conflicting emotions running through a person's eyes. She wanted to demand what was wrong with him, demand for him to answer her questions, but most of all; she wanted to give in to him. She wanted to stop fighting and just give up.**

**Her primal side wouldn't let her. It reared up and took control in her one moment of doubt. She, the side that was mainly in control, was shoved back into the recesses of her mind and was severed from any controls she had. Her primal side, what she'd begun to refer to as Darsaina, stood, and slapped Kaiba, making sure to leave the four same tiny gashes that Starlyte had left on Set.**

**Darsaina stalked out, and, thanks to Kaiba's drink, was unhindered by any pain. She sauntered back to her room and Starlyte swiftly overcame her the moment she stepped in. It was in that single lapse of thought that Starlyte grasped the thread of control and pulled. She caused Darsaina to fall side-ways and Starlyte was able to regain full control of her body.**

**It had been the room that had enabled to her to take control from Darsaina. It was done in the same black, in the same arrangement, and with the same objects as her own room in Domino and on her brother's islands. Blinking, she tried to force away the sight. It wouldn't leave and she walked further in, running her hand along what she came close to. It was all real.**

**She rushed to the closet, because if she were right, there would be a package. At the current point in time, Starlyte thought of nothing other than the package and what it meant was given to her as well. If it were there, then she had made a grave mistake.**

**Sifting through the clothes, which had been supplied by Kaiba undoubtedly, Starlyte found two articles of clothing. They were wrapped in a semi-clear plastic, but the color of the clothing shone through. In her hands, she held an exact replica of the outfit she'd worn when Kaiba had cast her off. The outfit that now lay stained wit blood on the floor of her condo in Domino. The outfit that signified her change as a person.**

**With a controlled frown, she stripped her clothes off; her form was milky white. Scars covered most of her body, but since she was a dhampira, the scars were barely more than stark white marks. She pulled the new clothing from the bags and slipped it on. It fit her curves perfectly. It seemed Kaiba knew more than he let on, much more.**

**Pulling her hair back, as on that day, she left the room and carefully made her way back to Kaiba's room. She was going to keep Darsaina under control, locked in the darkest part of her mind. She was going to apologize. She was going to . . . not tell him how she felt, not just yet. She'd save that because she wouldn't be able to hear his rebuttal. She rapped her knuckles against he door, lighter than earlier.**

**The reaction was a sharp, knife-like pain that shot through her mark and over her body. Giving it no more than a second's thought and a slight wince, she pounded against the door again. In response, the door was violently pulled open, but since Starlyte was ready for the action, she stopped her fist from striking a strangely pale Kaiba. Pushing her way in, she didn't offer any reason for the intrusion but instead closed the door after pulling Kaiba's hand from the handle.**

**She saw he was staring at the clothing, and she pale blushed because of it. Kaiba's eyes were drawn to her face and she found herself pulled against his form as tight as he did when they first began their little affair. His lips sought after hers and she willingly gave into the desperation that caused such a reaction.**

**Her arms wrapped around his neck and she found herself pushed against the door; Kaiba was relying on it for strength to stand as much as she did to keep upright. They parted and as her eyes flickered open, she saw a grave look fall into Kaiba's eyes. The blue orbs bore a look too similar to that of what he'd given her in his thought of betrayal. She couldn't take that look; she couldn't bear the thought of him pushing her away again.**

"**If that was a mistake on your part, Kaiba, then let me go now and I'll leave. Then, I'll never darken your doorway again. If it wasn't, I'm going to slap you for looking at me like that." A soft chuckle was all she received. She glanced up at the face hovering merely inches from hers.**

"**No, such a kiss could never be a mistake." Long, thin fingers ran across her cheek and she leaned into the touch. "Why though? I don't think I ever asked that. Why did that happen?" the fingers curled under her chin as she pushed away from the wall. She placed her face against the firm chest that met her. She wouldn't tell him while she was looking at him; she couldn't because he would see things too clearly through their bond.**

"**I had never planned that escapade to go so far. . ." her tale wrapped around her, and more than once she found that she was staring off wistfully, wondering if that man, Set said Darsaina, had remembered her. She finished, and the grip on her shoulders was predatory, possessive. She looked up, all thoughts and memories gone from her mind. Their eyes met, and within that contact, that physically impossible touch, she understood how deeply Kaiba felt he possessed her. She swallowed hard, her own body reacting in ways she had not felt before in her own skin.**

**She melted into the force at which Kaiba slammed his lips against hers. She found a peace in the force that drove him to claim his possession of her. She found a place in which her being, as a whole, found complete contentment.**

**Kaiba drove all thoughts but of him from her mind. This embrace, if she were able to compare it to Set's, was domineering, loving, but most of all, it spoke the words that neither of the two felt they would ever be able to say.**

**Starlyte neared a peak, the one point that would forever seal the bonds between herself and Kaiba. She forged ahead, unafraid, and willing to take whatever both their actions caused on both of them. Calling out in time with Kaiba, they renewed the once sacred bonds that held them, and sealed them with the very essence of their life from their own mouths.**

**Starlyte Pegasus was no longer a lone Fulira dhampira in a world of rogues and Hatuhukra. She was bound, by her own will, to a Hatuhukra and she claimed her own spot as the strongest of the dhampiri, the Fury of the Forgotten Fulira.**

"**_The Sea doth have its pearls, but there is danger in retrieving them. The Sea doth have power; a beauty rivaled only by that of the Wind." _Starlyte grinned as she fell asleep, Cecilia's prophecy finalizing with her newfound knowledge.**

7


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